In the last three weeks the Grand Opera House has received two awards recognizing the work to restore the building to its original 1890 beauty and luster.

The Iowa Historic Preservation Alliance chose the Grand Opera House and two other Dubuque projects to be honored at its annual Preservation at Its Best Awards ceremony held at the State Historical Building in Des Moines on May 10. The ceremony was followed by a reception at the governor's mansion, Terrace Hill. The Grand Opera House received an honorable mention in the Large Commercial Building category after being nominated by Wally Wernimont of the City of Dubuque Historic Preservation Commission.

The second award given to the Grand was the 2004 Ken Kringle Historic Preservation Award given by the Historic Preservation Commission. This award recognizes the best historic preservation projects located in the City of Dubuque. Christopher Wand, the chairperson of the Commission, will present the award at a reception on May 19th at 4:30 p.m. at the Carnegie Stout Public Library Auditorium. A big thank you is owed to all of our contributors for their support in making these restoration efforts a reality.